RACING/Leopardstown preview: Aidan O'Brien's Breeders' Cup team fly out to Texas today and it looks increasingly likely the two-year-olds Scandinavia and Mona Lisa will be on the plane.
The Ballydoyle trainer yesterday stressed a final decision won't be made until this morning but either way he still looks the most numerically powerful in the smaller-than-usual European squad for Saturday night.
Powerscourt (Turf), Antonius Pius (Mile) and Yesterday (Fillies & Mares) are likely to head the older horses but the younger brigade also look like making their presence felt.
"We're probably more positive about the two-year-olds than we were and it looks like they might go. But we will have to see how they are in the morning," said O'Brien, who won the Juvenile in 2001 with Johannesburg.
The Royal Lodge runner-up Scandinavia is a general 12 to 1 shot for Lone Star Park while Mona Lisa, who has yet to win, is widely available at 20 to 1 for the Juvenile Fillies, which is also run on dirt. O'Brien also indicated yesterday stable jockey Jamie Spencer will ride in both dirt races. Last year, the American Edgar Prado took over from Michael Kinane on Hold That Tiger in the Classic.
A charter flight, with the European horses, is scheduled to leave Shannon for Dallas today.
Spencer returns from Woodbine to be at Leopardstown this afternoon and will be looking forward to a first racecourse ride on Footstepsinthesand in the Group Three Kilavullan Stakes.
Colm O'Donoghue rides the Giant's Causeway colt in his work at home and he remained on the horse at Naas when the newcomer was backed down to favouritism before hacking up by four and a half lengths from the Spencer-ridden Olympic.
That was enough for Cashmans to smack a 33 to 1 tag on Footstepsinthesand for next year's 2,000 Guineas and it looks significant O'Brien gives him a second start. "He's in good form, seems fine, but the ground is not ideal for a good-moving colt," the trainer said yesterday.
Dermot Weld won this with Grey Swallow last year and this time is represented by the ex-American Gaff, whose Fairyhouse success resulted in some big prices for next year's Derby.
With Kevin Prendergast's two- year-olds bombing in all over the place there will be those willing to depend on Crystal View but if there is a potential classic prospect in this it looks like being Footstepsinthesand.
O'Brien runs five fillies in the Listed Trigo Stakes and Spencer has chosen Bywayofthestars, whose sole start to date yielded a somewhat unlucky second to Miss Mambo in the Garnet Stakes at Naas. It will be no easy task for the Danehill filly on just her second start but she looked to have real promise first time out.
Spencer and O'Brien could also score in the seven-furlong maiden with Grand Central.
Cathy Gannon has seen her lead in the apprentice jockeys title whittled away in recent weeks by Rory Cleary but she looks to hold good credentials in the concluding handicap on the Thurles winner Rajakana.
Dermot Weld's Galway Plate winner Ansar could only finish fifth in the Breeders' Cup Steeplechase at Far Hills racecourse in New Jersey on Saturday night.
